On Friday April 12th at 9PM, Bob McKeown hosts the fifth estate's sweeping cross-country investigation into Canada's hospitals and what they don't want you to know.

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by stuart_cbc4/13/2013 4:52:00 AM

3rd & 7 37yd

3rd & 7 37yd

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Suz, I had an asthma attack and went to Royal Columbian. They almost waited to long to treat me. Surely, someone who can't breath properly is a priority. On another visit there a doctor fondled my while I was on a respirator and too sick to protest.

by Karen4/13/2013 4:48:08 AM

You should Renee, don't let the bullies get away with it, it's affected you, as it did me and that is all bullies are good for and is what they want. We don't want to give them what they want, and it's not right they get away with it. I learned my lesson in BC and am not letting anyone get away with this behaviour toward me or others again, I will be the first to blow the whistle and whistleblowing needs to be encouraged just like it is in the UK, it's policy in most hospitals there as this problem got noticed some years ago now back in the UK too. It comes down to patient safety and care end of the day, when these things are ignored it's patients that suffer the most for it.

by suz RN4/13/2013 4:48:14 AM

I live in a small community in BC. When I broke my wrist on a summer afternoon, I was assessed, x-rayed, seen by the duty doctor who put my arm in a cast and I was home again in less than 1 1/2 hours. G. Johansen, Chemainus, BC

by gill johansen4/13/2013 4:48:34 AM

I have mostly praise for all staff, it is managhement cost cutting stupidity and obscene parking costs that rob us blind. #cbchospitals

Just went to Saan=Penn for tests, it was shut-down for quarantine, said it was fine...and I picked up the worse flu I have had in 66 years! Rate..bad, a cleaning bucket left in aisle, because lights were out...I walked into and have a serious infection in my ankle.

by pergammano4/13/2013 4:48:56 AM

NURSES ARE WELL TRAINED , ALL OVER THE WORLD , PROBLEM IS SOME ARE IN IT TO BE CARE GIVERS THAT REALLY CARE ABOUTH THOSE THEY CARE FOR , OTHERS MAYBE THE BULLIES OR Unprofessional nurses are in the profession for the almighty Dollar

by DON4/13/2013 4:49:32 AM

Dman...not interested in making money...Really didn't want the same surgical error happen to someone

by petra4/13/2013 4:49:52 AM

Rideaway you are so right...someone should check on the CEOs salaries....a full investigative report. Hire more housekeepers if you want to see lower infection rates!!!

by Nurse...4/13/2013 4:50:03 AM

Thanks CBC I hope this lights a fire under the powers that be, we need a change for the better!

by peon4/13/2013 4:50:29 AM

I never did go to the Local paper but instead made a point of speaking in person with the Head of Emergency Services but still feel, 3 years later wish that I had gone to the Press. I walked myself into Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver fully aware that I was a Type One diabetic in trouble and Blood Glucose levels soaring and losing consciousness I even went with a Neighbour as I felt I was getting close to passing out My experience went from bad to worse to unbelievable To make a long story short, they admitted to not following Protocol when someone in my condition walked in They neglected to call the Diabetic Day Care centre the next day for support that was actually in the Hospital itself and they did not know at all, how to treat someone who walked in with an INSULIN PUMP. I was in emergency for 2 full days with very high blood sugars as they admininstered less than was required in my situation. Finally I asked my neighbour when she dame back to see me late in the afternoon on the 2nd day, amazed that I was still in hospital, to go back to my house and retrieve an Insulin pen and bring it to me as quickly as she could. I administered enough insulin to myself and then told a Nurse to mark it down in my chart. Had it not been for a Male Nurse who kept shouting at me to Wake UP Wake UP I would have slipped into unconsciousness and possibly the beginnings of a Ketoacidosic Coma . I walked myself into that Hospital in good faith and the emergency room of LIONS GATE HOSPITAL in North Vancouver prolonged my seriously ill health. July 7,2010 was a time I will never forget

by nicola4/13/2013 4:50:36 AM

yes a lot of nurses are not interested in the money but only about 80 per cent

by DON4/13/2013 4:50:57 AM

Recognizing the signs and symptoms of a seizure are one thing. Knowing what to do about it immediately in an environment that you have just been introduced to would not be expected. Especially considering that part of the training involves learning to think and react calmly under high stress, emotionally charged environments (which certainly sounds consistent with what you described). They are not Physicians yet for a reason. Secondly your comment did not mention that it was a 4th year medical student. Finally, in all reality, a seizure (although a serious medical issue in some cases) becomes a very serious medical problem after 30 minutes of seizure activity or recurrent seizure episodes with no resolution of post-ictal phase over 30 minutes. Review status epilepticus.

I am shocked - working in 2 provinces and 6 hopsitals over the past 13 years, I think there are great experiences with each of them. From Infection control to housekeeping,

by Love Being a Nurse4/13/2013 4:51:08 AM

Another time we had to deal with GrandRiver hospital KW is more recent. My 30 stepson (disabled with MD and Epilepsy ) fell off his bike and hurt his lung. He and his father go up to the hospital. He went without treatment for OVER 11 hours. He was finally told that he had two punctures in his one lung. WTH. I was livid. I phoned and was treated very disrespectfully when I admitted to my extreme concern!!

by KimberlyM4/13/2013 4:51:15 AM

As a healthcare professional I'm glad that you are presenting the issues of short staffing... hopefully this will bring attention to the government that we need improved funding for safer, more ethical care for patients. This is not a lacking in nursing want, which it appears that you are trying to prove. Nurses are putting themselves at risk on a daily basis, no different than a police officer, and we get very little thanks for it. We need more staff to create a supportive work environment where management is less worried about overtime than they are about patient outcome. I love the CBC, but I feel that you have put a very negative and hurtful spin on the healthcare field when it is out of our hands. The doctors, nurses and cleaning staff do not have enough time to do their job. It's an insult to us and everything we do on a daily basis, as we are trying to save lives to have you in an office criticizing what we do. I love my job as an RN in downtown Vancouver, it's not easy, but rewarding and you are insulting every second that I work. Walk a mile in our shoes and you would be equally frustrated with government funding as we are, but believe me, it's not a healthcare issue, rather it's a government issue. We are a democracy, how are they truly representing us?

by Naggem4/13/2013 4:51:29 AM

Public private partnership is a way for the goverment to avoid spending the money that the should be spending to keep our medical system working. Underfunding and you need privat hospials like the states. The wait for sugery is horrible.

by lorddragonrj4/13/2013 4:51:31 AM

In Hope, BC, we have a tiny ER and sometimes you can be lucky enough to be in and out in a couple of hours or less..depending..nothing like the lower mainland. Im glad Im retired here because Id hate to go to Surrey where my son waited 4 hrs , 3 yrs ago..it was horrible..filled with people in agony and one doctor on duty!

by ruth4/13/2013 4:51:32 AM

sorry to hear that Karea. Shoddy care there doesn't surprise me unfortunately. I challenged a doctor for ignoring the fact a patients potassium level was high and their IV needed to be stopped, in the UK they'd have worked with me and done that, she chose to give me a dirrty look and ignore me, so I challenged her 2-3 times more and made her listen to me in that way, then she said she was not that patients doctor and walked off. No she was not their doctor, she was the one for all patients that day as it was the weekend and she was the only one, but clearly she was unfit and not well trained enough to even be a doctor. The nurse in charge agreed with me and I documented it as her neck not mine, I did my job after all.

by suz RN4/13/2013 4:51:41 AM

Very interesting fifth estate re #ratemyhospital tonight. No surprise to anyone with connections to Canadian health system

Welcome to our live blog for Rate My Hospital, a sweeping cross-country investigation into Canada's hospitals and what they don't want you to know. Please share your thoughts on tonight's program or the Canadian hospital system. Don't forget to tune into the our special Rate My Hospital fifth estate special at 9 PM. Make you voice heard by rating your hospital at www.cbcnews.ca/ratemyhospital

by stuart_cbc4/13/2013 4:52:13 AM

Don't

by Carol4/13/2013 4:53:04 AM

Dear no name 1238 - you need to read comments further down the column. Unions are only as strong as their representatives, some of us have been burned badly. Management likes their numbers to look good, and their plans to proceed, even at the expense of their seasoned nurses. Bullying and termination is a real fact occurring out there, you are just fortunate to have strong representation!

by nurse4/13/2013 4:53:07 AM

I can't believe St. Joseph's in London, ON got top scores for teaching hospitals. Ob/Gyn department is scandolous. They were ignoring my medical history and insisting on NOT doing a hysterecotomy because they were a RELIGIOUS hospital. I went to Joseph Brant in Burlington and got excellent care and a hysterectomy within one month. The surgeon found that I had scar tissue attach to my intestine

by HarryGary4/13/2013 4:53:37 AM

Same Hosp. 6 years ago, serious heart condition, in Emerg. and inadvertently released when a patient went viral, and 14 RCMP came in with handguns...I understand the seriousness of the issue, but I was released, rather than moved to a safe area.

by pergammano4/13/2013 4:54:03 AM

NHS is far better than here, having worked in both, that is my epxerience, as I say I've not worked in any bad ones, Oxford, London and the south were ones I mostly worked in, I know there were others being addressed when I moved to Canada 5 yrs ago and that is the difference again, there they do get addressed and made to improve, what is being done about the issues over here? Hopefully this is a very good start toward doing so! Bad practice does not get ignored for long in the UK I will say that. NICE over there is one professional body that works to ensure it.

by suz RN4/13/2013 4:54:03 AM

Thanks Suz. For years they got away with it because I was just too easy going. I never wanted to get involved with the gossip, rumours and biatch sessions. Im a nurse and I go to work to provide the best care I could to my patients. Dont have time for their nonsense, we are suppost to be professional not a bunch of high school kids. Very unprofessional and presents a bad image of nurses as a whole. Lets just get back to what they pay us too do, look after our patients.

by reenie4/13/2013 4:54:07 AM

It is difficult to justify lay-offs, staff shortages, poor equipment when our hospital ratings are so poor. should we not spend the money on the above mentioned problems in order to improve patient outcomes??

by rideaway4/13/2013 4:54:18 AM

My husband waited 6 1/2 years for surgery therefore a somewhat minor surgery became major surgery at the RAH. Was released and developed a post-op infection (after fighting one in hospital). Home Care told him to go back to the RAH with his release papers. What a joke. After 14 hours lying on a gurney becoming sicker he threatened to leave AMA. THEN he got some attention (had been ringing emergency bell for hours and staff would just turn it off). Re-admittance to hospital was after 18 hours and debridement in Emerg! Net Care and EMR were never consulted, kept being asked the same questions on questions that were on record. Interns and Residents were more concerned about upsetting the original surgeon (who was away on holidays) and how unusual post-op infections were for this surgeon. Deplorable treatment.

Petra - glad to hear it. I am 100% confident that if you approached the team involved, they would discuss the issue and likely make the case a "Morbidity and Mortality" rounds case (removing identifying information of course) whereby the case would be discussed in detail including an exploration of what went wrong, why people made wrong decisions (we openly admit mistakes in such rounds) and how things could have been handled differently so that they do not happen again. It is standard practice in all fields of medicine ---- termed "M&M Rounds".

by DMan4/13/2013 4:55:06 AM

Kudos to Don !!! Could not have said it better myself.

by reenie4/13/2013 4:55:51 AM

Pandora's Box is correct. Thank you Fifth Estate and CBC. This has to be the starting point. Where my mother lives in Manitoba, I wanted to raise some issues with the head administrator only I could not find out who he/she is! You could only report online which resulted in almost no response, only token platitudes.

by Ann4/13/2013 4:56:13 AM

Thank you 5th Estate for allowing us to tell our stories.

by Karen4/13/2013 4:56:19 AM

i was at the university hospital in saskatoon and had a 30 minute test. i received 26 bed bug bites in that 30 minutes never had any before

by john4/13/2013 4:56:28 AM

Sadly, when I needed surgery I went to a private hospital in Mexico and received wonderful care. No way I am submitting myself to the filth 2nd class medical facilities in Canada. We are the 3rd world country now

by brian4/13/2013 4:56:34 AM

Saskatchewan - how has The Health Board having been created, helped our medical system? It has been going down hill ever since. The Health Board itself is over-staffed, and make very good wages. Very top heavy management, but very poor health care. Not blaming the doctors, nurses and medical staff for the problems, just very poor management at the top. Medical secretaries are being let go in droves, cleaning staff is minimal, and the laundry is being shipped out of province

by Jude4/13/2013 4:56:40 AM

St Joseph's Hospital in London would never not do a hysterectomy on religious grounds. What people do not realize is that the same Docs work at all three Hospitals in London --- St Joe's, University Hospital and Victoria Hospital.

by DMan4/13/2013 4:57:21 AM

3.5

by Lindak4/13/2013 4:57:42 AM

Hysterectomies are not a religious issue.

by DMan4/13/2013 4:57:47 AM

The ones who are in it for the patients and put the patients first are a dying breed. God help us all when we all retire.

by reenie4/13/2013 4:57:50 AM

My experience has been with our local ER and it was very good. Care was timely with seeing the physician, diagnostic tests, treatment & follow up care.

by Louise4/13/2013 4:57:53 AM

St. Jo's in London, OB/GYNs were indifferent to possible ovarian cancer by refusing to do a hysterecomy. When it was done at Jo Brant in Burlington, ON they biopsied for cancer. There was no ovarian cancer but the OB/GYNs at St. Jos in London ON ignored family history of breast cancer - which I ended up having - the history acted on by a very competent GP in Hamilton

by HarryGary4/13/2013 4:57:59 AM

I found it is overcrowded. There were as many as 10 visitors for a single patient at any one time.

by Jack Martin4/13/2013 4:58:25 AM

I checked out the rating for Kelowna General Hospital and I was shocked to see how well it rated. My treatment there after the birth of my son was terrible. As a mother with a mental health condition I was treated as a second class patient. I needed a private room to get rest in between feedings and would have gladly stayed in the pych ward if it had meant a private room but no. I was told mental health patients were treated as the lowest level of patient at the hospital. I found it such a different experience than where I had my son. We were airlifted to Victoria General and I had a private room during the whole stay. The equipment I used to pump was sterilized by staff and I was never told to pump less because they had limited storage for breast milk. Additionally VGH was cleaner and the meals were better.

by Distracted664/13/2013 4:58:26 AM

The ones who are in it for the patients are not a dying breed. I don't know how you would even arrive at such a conclusion.

by DMan4/13/2013 4:58:47 AM

I would not recommend the Edmonton Misericordia - they sent me home 2 nights in a row when I was having a heart attack. So did the Grey Nuns but at least they phoned me and told me I needed to come back to the ICU because the blood test showed that I was having heart attacks. My last visit to the Grey Nuns was January 2011 when I arrived by ambulance with pneumonia. A poorly trained ER nurse(?) who knew nothing about diabetes would not give me anything to eat, though I required food every 4 hours. When I became agitated as can happen with a diabetic with high blood sugar, I found myself I a hallway where I remained for the next 3 days. Finally a bed in a room with a screaming patient with dementia. After3 more days, the doctor came in and asked me why I was not getting my meds interveinously. I will never go back. I called the patient advocate but she told me I would have to put my complaint in writing and I was just too tired after 6 days in the GN. Some nurses are great and some need to find other professions. The thing that I have noticed in all of our hospitals is that you are no longer treated as a person but as a number that has to go through the system.

by Lucymary4/13/2013 4:58:49 AM

my understanding about bed bugs in hospitals is that they are infested and most have had exterminators

by john4/13/2013 4:58:52 AM

The hospitals have been sliding downhill for years. Patients in hallways, closets, castrooms, and yes even in the donut shop! And its getting worse as the babybombers become seniors. I have a relative that has been in The Royal Columbian Hospital for over 5 months. She needs to go into long term care that has kidhey dialysis onsite. There are 2 in greater Vancouver! With 6 beds.......there is no where to go. We need to get the federal government involved. We need to pay for our health care if we never paid into it. Its to easy to cheat our medical system at all different levels. We need in independant study constantly watching statisticsand making the right kinds of changes. The population is exploding and our hospitals are bursting at the seams. Patients are falling through the cracks.

by nwest4/13/2013 4:58:54 AM

More health authorities need to be held accountable with our money fed up of working on the front line and hearing of another manager position and staffing is being cut or there is no money for more staff. another thing is no money for safer equipment. nore injuries because of old equipment fixed by cheap bandages.

by sorswife4/13/2013 4:59:03 AM

Psych patients are almost always disrespected, in my experience.

by Karen4/13/2013 4:59:21 AM

The food is terrible. Nurses we very good.

by Jack Martin4/13/2013 4:59:24 AM

Not do I understand why one would make such a statement.

by DMan4/13/2013 4:59:40 AM

Stay away from Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody, BC. I know of 2 people who have died from C. Difficile there. the rooms are disgustingly filthy and the staff look very overworked.

by Max4/13/2013 5:00:05 AM

What disturbs me most is the length of shifts for doctors and nurses. Like pilots, these people need to have all their faculties for an entire shift! It is a matter of life and death. Staffing is low to avoid paying benefits. Saw some stuff when my Mom was dying that was shocking, didn't blame staff, but resources were so tight, all I could see was penny pinching at my Moms (and others) expense. Shame!

by Ssampson4/13/2013 5:00:15 AM

If you live in the Hamilton/Burlington area go to Joseph Brant in Burlington - stay the hell away from Hamilton hospitals - ALL of them - especially St. Joseph's and especially if you need mental health care

by HarryGary4/13/2013 5:00:23 AM

Jude, I agree with you. when hospitals started contracting out all their services to the lowest bidders who then took over with inferior products and services. staff moral fell because their was no longer a loyalty to the hospital or the department.

by rideaway4/13/2013 5:00:24 AM

I am so happy to see this coming to the forefront. Their needs to be some very hard questions asked, and some reasonable solutions found. My personal experience at the two hospitals available to me where I live, have caused me to be afraid to ever go through their doors again! I have been shoved on a gurney and wheeled into a corner, and left without nursing care/admittance/zilch for over 8 & 1/2 hours. I was having a rare event called a "Carcinoid Crisis" which could have easily been life-threatening. Another time, with strong symptoms of a stroke, the same treatment was given. The paramedic told me to call one of my doctor's (GP or neurologist) and get them to do something. He himself was horrified, at what was happening to me. We do not have patient advocates in B.C., so it seems that without a family member to fight for you, you are at the mercy of the staff. If they have taken a dis-like to you, or do not understand your illnesses, God help you! Thank-you for opening this up CBC!